Yollo Lab is an open printmaking and bookmaking studio for all young artist based in the heart of Chicago, Pilsen. In Barrett Park’s field house, Yollo Lab artists explore textile arts by creating weird patterns on fabrics and learn the skills of making books, sketch books and self-published zines. Young Artists are welcomed in utilizing Yollo Lab’s fully functioning screen printing studio such as a dark room, power washer and exposure unit, along with equipped bookmaking tools. Artists are also invited to experiment with textiles using natural dying and fiber arts such as sewing and embroidery while gathering and building community.

Yollo Lab also offers Studio Residencies for Artists. Each residency consists of a month long stay to use all of the tools, equipment and material that artist desires. Artists are given the keys to receive 24 Hour access to continually create and make. Residents are also asked to facilitate two workshops that encapsulate their artists practice or what they have been experimenting with in the studio.

Fall 2020

Yollocalli Street Art class took a two-week in depth class over MX dying and screen printing. Artists were asked to bring used clothes, new shirts or any item of clothing that they wanted to up cycle. The street art class used methods of Shabori knots and twits to create different patterns on their clothing to their liking. Street Art artists then created designs and images that they wanted to include reused clothes using Shabori techniques and methods to create patterns and screen print their custom designs.

Enchúlame El Armario

Fall 2019 Resident Artist, Carolina Velez Muñiz, lead a two-day workshop of Shibori dye, embroidery and beading. Artist were lead through a brief introduction of resists dye through knotting, twisting and stitching cloth to create different patters. In our second workshop, artists were asked to create designs on their dyed fabric through embroidery and beading through different stitches and beading arrangements.

Punchline: A Rubbings Workshop

Fall 2019 Resident Artist, Hope Wang, invited artists to an exercise considering how pattern, texture, and other material qualities draw together an understanding of space. Whether we notice the wobbly grid of a metal grate, or the fuzzy holes of a pegboard, or the raised zigzags on a stool, subtle details of everyday surfaces form the background of environments people inhabit. Attendees will responded to the Yollo Lab studio to create embossment tin tiles that draw these material and visual relationships together.

Summer 2019

Summer 2019 Resident Artists, Joseph Josue Mora & Sarita Garcia, invited young artists of the park to create zines, stickers and tote bags of their dreams. Artists were encouraged to think about images, icons and characters to create a full collection of products for them to give to their family, gift to their friends or sell on their own. Artists learned the process of creating small publications and sticker packets. Artists were also shown techniques of dying reused clothes and tote bags while up cycling by adding designs with stamps and embroidery. All items they created were for theirs to keep!